Jet impingement cooling for high power semiconductor devices

Abstract

A jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices includes a heat exchange base having an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. An inlet connection may be in fluid connection with the inlet chamber, while an outlet connection may be in fluid connection with the outlet chamber. A jet plate may be coupled to the inlet chamber, and a jet pedestal may be formed on the jet plate and having a raised surface with a jet nozzle formed therein.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices, comprising:
 a heat exchange base having an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber sharing a bottom surface; 
 an inlet connection in fluid connection with the inlet chamber; 
 an outlet connection in fluid connection with the outlet chamber; 
 a jet plate coupled to the inlet chamber and having a jet plate surface parallel to the bottom surface; 
 a jet pedestal formed on the jet plate and having a raised surface with a jet nozzle formed therein; and 
 a chamber divider within the heat exchange base and attached to the jet plate and to the bottom surface, with the inlet chamber being adjacent to the jet plate and a first side of the chamber divider, and the outlet chamber being adjacent to a second side of the chamber divider. 
 
     
     
       2. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange base is configured to receive a semiconductor module including at least one semiconductor device with a frontside facing away from the inlet chamber and a backside facing the jet plate. 
     
     
       3. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 2 , wherein the jet pedestal is positioned on the jet plate to cause jet impingement of fluid flow from the inlet chamber through the jet nozzle and onto the backside of the semiconductor device. 
     
     
       4. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 3 , wherein a fluid flow path is defined from the inlet connection to the inlet chamber, through the jet nozzle, onto the backside of the semiconductor device, through at least one return channel defined by pedestal walls of the jet pedestal and thereby to the outlet chamber, and from the outlet chamber through the outlet connection. 
     
     
       5. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 4 , wherein the return channel is defined between the pedestal walls and at least one wall of the heat exchange base. 
     
     
       6. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 4 , wherein the jet plate has at least two jet pedestals, and further wherein the return channel is defined between the at least two jet pedestals. 
     
     
       7. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the chamber divider is substantially perpendicular to the jet plate. 
     
     
       8. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet connection and the outlet connection are positioned on a single side of the heat exchange base. 
     
     
       9. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet connection is positioned on a first side of the heat exchange base and the outlet connection is positioned on a second side of the heat exchange base. 
     
     
       10. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 1 , wherein the chamber divider is coupled to the heat exchange base. 
     
     
       11. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 1 , wherein the chamber divider is coupled to the jet plate and configured to be received within the heat exchange base together with the jet plate. 
     
     
       12. The jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices of  claim 1 , wherein the jet plate is interchangeable with a second jet plate that has a second jet nozzle of a different size than the first jet nozzle. 
     
     
       13. A jet plate assembly for jet impingement cooling of a semiconductor device, comprising:
 a jet plate configured to be received within a heat exchange base and having a jet plate surface; and 
 a jet pedestal formed on the jet plate and having at least one jet nozzle formed within a raised surface that is raised from the jet plate surface by at least one jet pedestal wall connecting the jet plate to the raised surface, 
 wherein the jet plate, when received within the heat exchange base, defines a fluid flow path from an inlet chamber of the heat exchange base through the jet nozzle, and through a return path defined by the at least one jet pedestal wall to an outlet chamber of the heat exchange base, 
 wherein the jet plate, when received within the heat exchange base, is attached to a chamber divider with the inlet chamber being adjacent to the jet plate and a first side of the chamber divider, and the outlet chamber being adjacent to a second side of the chamber divider, and with the jet plate surface being parallel with a bottom surface of the heat exchange base shared by the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber. 
 
     
     
       14. The jet plate assembly for jet impingement cooling of a semiconductor device of  claim 13 , wherein the jet plate is configured to be coupled to at least one wall of the heat exchange base, and to the chamber divider. 
     
     
       15. The jet plate assembly for jet impingement cooling of a semiconductor device of  claim 13 , wherein the jet pedestal is positioned on the jet plate to cause jet impingement of fluid flow from the inlet chamber through the jet nozzle and onto a backside of a semiconductor device mounted on a semiconductor module that is coupled to the heat exchange base, as part of the fluid flow path. 
     
     
       16. The jet plate assembly for jet impingement cooling of a semiconductor device of  claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the chamber divider is substantially perpendicular to the jet plate. 
     
     
       17. The jet plate assembly for jet impingement cooling of a semiconductor device of  claim 13 , wherein the jet plate includes at least two jet pedestals. 
     
     
       18. A method of making a jet impingement cooling assembly for semiconductor devices, comprising:
 forming a heat exchange base having a bottom surface; 
 providing a chamber divider within the heat exchange base and attached to a jet plate having a jet plate surface that is parallel to the bottom surface, the chamber divider defining an inlet chamber that is adjacent to the jet plate and a first side of the chamber divider, and an outlet chamber that is adjacent to a second side of the chamber divider, the inlet chamber and the outlet chamber sharing the bottom surface; 
 forming an inlet connection in fluid connection with the inlet chamber; and 
 forming an outlet connection in fluid connection with the outlet chamber. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 forming the jet plate with a jet pedestal formed thereon, the jet pedestal having at least one jet nozzle. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 forming the chamber divider coupled to the jet plate.